Good Night Murder by Diane Weiner

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review, Cozy Mysteries

Professor Jenna Blake is back. She survived a school shooting. She survived her husband’s suicide. With the help of supportive parents, a therapy dog, and Oreos, she’s regained her grip on life. Or has she? On her first day back from an extended sabbatical, she finds a cryptic note on her desk requesting a meeting.

When the anonymous note writer is a no-show and later turns up dead, it ignites a volatile chain of events. If she can’t explain why her scarf, address, and DNA are found on the dead stranger, she’ll lose her job and be thrown in jail. When Jenna discovers a second victim murdered in the woods and one of her students goes missing, she rises to the top of the suspect list. Enlisting the help of a hot private investigator, her humorous teaching assistant, and the original victim’s fiancé, she fights to uncover the twisted truth.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (August 28, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 28, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 738 KB
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages

Jenna Blake has been through more than one person should have to handle in her lifetime. Coming back to teaching after a time away to heal from the trauma of the school shooting and her husband’s death, she finds more challenges and situations that test her ability to cope. Will her recovery continue while  being a suspect in a murder?

Author Diane Weiner never disappoints. Though not a traditional cozy mystery, Goodnight Murder leads us on a path of subterfuge leaving us guessing and turning the pages while we walk step by step with Jenna to solve the mystery and clear her name.

The characters are believable, and the plot is excellent. It is well written and easy to read. I hope we see more of Jenna in the future.

Diane Weiner, award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with three precious cats—Louie, Lila, and Emmy. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of shows set in Wales, Scotland, England, or anywhere with lots of snow and ice.To learn more about the author, visit her website http://www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. Contact the author at dianeweinerauthor@gmail.com.

Blue Moon Secrets by Allan B. Boyer

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review, Cozy Mysteries

How can a letter change everything?

That is the question August Summerfield asks himself. After serving as a Secret Service Agent to Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower, August is enjoying retirement in the quiet community of Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania. When he receives a letter asking for help at Dwight Eisenhower’s Farm, August can’t refuse to help the former president. What he finds is Mrs.Eisenhower’s prize necklace missing, a maid who has disappeared, and a field that the farm hands seem afraid to go near. Is there a connection? Join August Summerfield and his niece for their second cozy mystery, Blue Moon Secrets.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C7S8CM56
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 11, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1008 KB
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe

Print length ‏ : ‎ 191 pages

My Review

Blue Moon Secrets took me back to a time when life seemed simpler. A former President could retire and fade away unless he wanted to be in the limelight. Dwight Eisenhower retired to a quiet farm near the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where he could live outside the spotlight of his office. Allan Boyer does an excellent job of bringing us to this farm with a mystery which keeps us reading and makes us want to learn more about the history of that era. Though a fictional tale, it teased my curiosity about the former President, making me want to learn more. It is well-written; the characters are likable. When the reader makes a connection to the plot and the participants  it’s a win for the author and the readers.

About The Author

Allen B. Boyer lives near Hershey, Pa with his wife and three children. He also lives near a retirement home that he visits with his children and his dog, Buster. If you enjoyed Gumshoe Granny Investigates, please check out Bess in the other books in the series, as well as his Dupree Sisters Mystery series and his August Summerfield Series.

Check out Mr. Boyer’s blog at: allenboyer.weebly.com/blog/allen-boyer-an-authors-blog

Find Allen Boyer at: Facebook, Amazon, Goodreads

The Deadly Reveal by Diane Weiner

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review, Cozy Mysteries

A Sara Baron Tuned In Mystery

It’s a boy! It’s a girl! It’s a murder? Oboist Sara Baron and her fiancé get more than they’re expecting when murder interrupts their gender reveal party and their beloved midwife is arrested for the crime. Can they put the blame where it’s due and deliver the real killer? Meanwhile, the couple living next door to Sara’s parents has mysteriously vanished with their new baby leaving a cryptic email, an overgrown lawn, and all their belongings behind. The baby’s aunt, returning from military service, is certain foul play is involved and begs for help. Can team Sara solve that mystery as well or is the family gone for good?

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CFGCM9VB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cozy Cat Press (August 10, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 901 KB
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 197 pages

My Review

Waiting for a baby to be born and finding out whether pink or blue are going to be in your nursery is exciting. It’s no different for parents-to-be, Sara and Travis. Preparing for the baby with Lamaze classes, choosing a physician and midwife and planning a gender reveal are priorities on their baby list. The unexpected happens during the reveal party and postpones the celebration, which sends the couple into a must solve mystery before the baby is born.

As always Diane Weiner captures our attention with her story telling and keeps us focused on trying to figure out the motive and the solution. This series is always an enjoyable read leading us to want more in this series, and The Deadly Reveal entices us to continue reading the saga.

About The Author

Diane Weiner, award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with three precious cats—Louie, Lila, and Emmy. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of shows set in Wales, Scotland, England, or anywhere with lots of snow and ice. To learn more about the author, visit her website www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. Contact the author at dianeweinerauthor@gmail.com.



Silent Winter Solstice by Bonnie Oldre

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

A Beth and Evie Mystery Book 1

Winter Solstice, 1968. While most of the world is transfixed by the televised images of the first manned lunar orbit, Beth Williams rushes through the eerie quiet of her home-town city park trying to get to work on time. Suddenly, a body rolls down the hill and lands near her feet. She glimpses a shadowy figure at the top of the hill. But, before the police arrive, the body disappears and they dismiss the whole thing as a drunk who fell, was stunned, and then wandered off after regaining consciousness. However, Beth is certain that a murder was committed. She and her best friend, Evie Hanson, both mystery novel buffs, decide to investigate. The menace grows when Beth discovers she is being followed around town. Beth and Evie realize they must solve the case before it is too late.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09NZC296H
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gatekeeper Press (December 20, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 20, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1346 KB

My Review

What do you do when it is 1968, before cell phones were invented and you find a dead body in the snow? You run to the library, where you work as a Library Assistant so you can call the police. Unfortunately, the time it took to report the death also provided the murderer with the time to hide the body. Or was the person alive and knocked out, woke up and walked off? Beth Williams was second-guessing herself when the police couldn’t find evidence of foul play.

I liked the fact this mystery was set in 1968 when life was simpler and life in small communities was laid back and residents trusted one another. The author captured the time period perfectly. The writing style was easy to read, and the plot kept me turning pages. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat like thrillers do but its style was perfect for a cozy read.  It was a tantalizing read for a relaxing afternoon.

About The Author

I always loved books. My library card was a prized childhood possession. In the summer, I spent hours at the library happily turning pages with fingers wrinkled from playing in the adjacent city swimming pool. Reading transported me to a new world. I was interested in everything. Some of my favorites included the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes stories, and later, Agatha Christie’s novels.

I developed a life-long passion for writing when a poem I wrote was published in my high school’s anthology. After earning a degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, my first publishing job was copy-editing church bulletins in the morning and delivering them in the afternoon! I was also a volunteer writer and editor for our neighborhood newspaper and sold a couple of short stories. But that didn’t pay the bills, so I went to graduate school and became a librarian.

The desire to write never diminished and ultimately propelled me into taking writing classes at the Loft Literary Center and the University of Minnesota. A life-long resident of Minnesota, my husband and I have two grown sons and a tribe of grandchildren. We, and our pet cat, Chocolate, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Bonnie also writes historical fiction as B.K. Oldre.

https://bonnieoldre.com/

Bad Vibes by Diane Weiner

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

Bad Vibes-A Sara Baron Tuned-In Mystery

https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Vibes-Baron-Tuned-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B7TT4Z46

Oboist Sara Baron is settling nicely into her new life back in her hometown, but when a friend goes missing under suspicious circumstances, her newfound equilibrium is thrown off balance. The police don’t suspect foul play, but Sara gets a bad vibe when she finds her friend Micah blew off a meeting with his dissertation chair and has been ghosting his girlfriend. Playing amateur sleuth, she uncovers secrets from Micah’s past which make her wonder if she ever knew her friend at all. Meanwhile, Sara has a secret of her own. One which could change her life forever.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B7TT4Z46
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 31, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1952579481
  • Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Diane Weiner

Diane Weiner, the award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two precious cats—a calico named Callie and a gray tabby, Chelsea. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries on Britbox, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of Wales, Scotland, or England by watching shows such as Hinterland, Shetland, and Vera.

My Review

I am never disappointed when I pick up a Diane Weiner Cozy Mystery, no matter what series. Bad Vibes is the third book in her Sara Baron Tuned In Series. In Bad Vibes Sara moves back to her home town and as always, life is never what you expect when you go home again. Reconnecting with her family business in the craft of making custom oboes, she feels the warmth of being near her family but the death of a friend rocks her world. This mystery has romance, a family feel, and of course an enthralling mystery. Put on your amateur sleuth hat. As always with Ms Weiner’s mysteries, it is well-written and a good addition to the Sara Baron Tuned-In Mystery Series.

To learn more about the author, visit her website: www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.

Download a free book as a gift and to introduce you to Diane’s series.

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

Where Wild Peaches Grow by Cade Bentley

Release Date August 30, 2022

In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.

Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.

Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.

Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09PBJDR5G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (August 30, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 297 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1542031214

MY REVIEW

Nona “Peaches” Davenport is a complex woman. She finds one can never put the past behind them when she travels back to her home in Natchez, Mississippi to bury her father. Peaches relationship with her family, fraught with emotions and misunderstandings, reaches the core of our being as we experience them with her. It touches on the feelings many have experienced in their own lives.

As the story unfolds, it also reveals differences in culture that many of us don’t think about or turn a blind eye to because we don’t want to see, always through the years unspoken but silently simmering.  The characters come to life, working together so the reader can visualize every scenario.

Where Wild Peaches Grow is by far my favorite book by this author. It has heart, it has soul, and is memorable. I would also put it as one of my top favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it.

THE AUTHOR

About Abby L Vandiver/Cade Bentley

Abby Vandiver

WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and internationally best-selling author, Abby L. Vandiver, is a hybrid author, being both self and traditionally published. She writes as Abby L. Vandiver/Abby Collette and Cade Bentley. Abby has always enjoyed writing, and combining that with her gift for telling stories and love of mystery, she became an author.

Starting in 2013, and prior to 2018, Abby self-published more than twenty books. Her debut novel, In the Beginning and its sequels, Irrefutable Proof and Incarnate are fact mixed with fiction, mystery/sci-fi novels not written as action packed or fast paced, but as “what-if” alternative history stories. After those books were published, Abby switched to writing cozy mysteries, she has four self-published series so far, Logan Dickerson Cozy Mystery, Normal Junction Cozy Mystery, Tiny House Mysteries and ABC Cozy Mystery Series. Although she writes mostly mystery, Abby has co-written a historical/women’s fiction novel with author and friend, Kathryn Dionne under the pen name Kathryn Longino, In 2017, she contracted with Henery Press for a 3-book deal to pen the series Romaine Wilder Mysteries. After signing with an agent in 2018, she authored two traditionally published cozy mystery series, both pubbed by Penguin Berkley: An Ice Cream Parlor Mystery’s and A Books & Biscuits Mystery. Again switching genres, Abby has penned a women’s fiction book, published by Lake Union, Where Wild Peaches Grow, due out August 30, 2022, which has received a starred review from Booklist. Abby acted as agent and editor for an anthology comprised of twenty authors of color titled, Midnight Hour published by Crooked Lane.

During her non-writing life, Abby obtained a bachelor’s in Economics, a master’s in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She is a former attorney and Economics professor, but now writes books full-time for the past nine years. As part of her writing journey, Abby teaches writing classes at her local library, Literary Cleveland, and the International Women’s Writing Guild. She will be the Writer in Residence at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library’s William L. Skirball Writer’s Center for 2022-2023.

Abby resides in South Euclid, Ohio, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, all of whom are her favorite.

Abby’s got many more books to come, so stay tuned!

Amazon Link

Visit her: www.authorabby.com

Email her: abbylvandiver@aol.com

Follow her: www.twitter.com/AbbyVandiver

www.instagram.com/abbylvandiver

www.facebook.com/authorabbyl.vandiver

Keep up with new releases: www.bookbub.com/authors/abby-l-vandiver

The Disappearance of Paige Turner

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

Paige Turner, a 23-year-old book reviewer, and columnist for a Boston periodical gets the assignment of a lifetime when she is asked to find the missing best-selling novelist, Carl Alexander. With not much to go on but a telegram and an older man’s memories, she finds clues in Carl’s latest novel, Soul Stealer, that will lead her to a place that time itself has forgotten. With darkness closing in all around her, she finds herself in a hopeless situation that will affect her for the rest of her life.

About the Author

NEWLY RELEASED – Both of my self-pub’d short stories, “Shout From A Rooftop” and “Agnes Stillwater Day” have been revised and re-released for your kindle with all new covers and introductions! Check it out!

WELCOME and thank you for stopping by my Author Page. So, who am I? Well, I guess I’m just your average person pursuing his dream. I love a good fiction novel. A mystery, epic fantasy, adventure, or comedy…I love it all. With my own writing, I want to put a good quality story on the shelf…something that I would like to read. Something I think that you’d like to read.

Things I like (but am not restricted to): Positive, upbeat people. Smiles. A hot cup of coffee. Flannel shirts. Sports (mainly football and basketball). Music … love music.

I live in Idaho, am the father of two and the grandfather of four. Amazing how time flies…

If you like my stories, please remember to leave a review. They help!

You can visit my website at https://bjgilbertson2.wixsite.com/bartjgilbertson

You can also find me on Facebook and Goodreads. See you there!

My Review

The Disappearance of Paige Turner is one of those books in which you expect a twist at the end and I wasn’t disappointed. From the first page to the last path kept me intrigued. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. My mind was going back and forth with possibilities trying to decide what might be real, what might not be real, and being suspicious of all the characters.

Bart Gilbertson knows how to write a short story. He makes the characters interesting, so that you want to more, gives you a plot that twists your mind trying to figure out how it’s going to end, and then surprises you with the ending. Thank you.

Murder In Training by Diane Weiner

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

When a retired teacher and her bestie join a training class with the goal of walking a breast cancer charity race, they run into a speedbump when a member of the group is murdered in the park. He had no shortage of enemies. Blackmail, harassment, and smuggling top the list of motives. Susan and Valerie both have detective daughters who for once request their mothers’ help. Their inroads with the training group put the amateur sleuths in a position to gather and pass along information. Meanwhile, Susan receives a mysterious gift on her doorstep and has no idea what it is or who sent it. Valerie questions whether or not it’s time to start dating again after losing her husband. And Susan’s daughter has a secret of her own.

My Review

Murder in Training is a welcome addition to the Susan Wiles Cozy Series by Author Diane Weiner. I’ve read every book in this series. I anticipate and anxiously wait for the next one. I was not disappointed in the continuation of the series.

Each book takes you deeper into the background of the characters, drawing you in and making you care about their lives. I was hoped the author would keep the characters of Valerie and Jazzy from her previous book and she did. They are the perfect pairing for Susan and her daughter Lynnette, adding a level of friendship we all yearn for and can identify with.

As always, Susan and her friends are smack dab in the middle of trouble, sometimes involving their unwilling families. How many of us have experienced that? I’m not a walker and one thing this book made me want to do was join a walking club, not to get healthier but to experience the joys of the friendship it brought. However, I’ll not be dropping into any murders. Added to my enjoyment was the description of goodies to bake. I wish the author had included some of the recipes in the back of the book, perhaps in the future?

I recommend this entire series. It keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to see what Susan Wiles is up to next.

About the Author

Diane Weiner, award-winning author of The Susan Wiles Schoolhouse Mysteries, The Sugarbury Falls Mysteries, and The Sara Baron Tuned-in Mysteries, is a veteran public school teacher and mother of four grown children. Being an animal lover, she is a vegetarian and shares her home with two precious cats—a calico named Callie and a gray tabby, Chelsea. In her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, attending theater productions, watching British mysteries on Britbox, and spending time with her family. A favorite way to destress involves turning down the lights, cranking down the air-conditioning (she lives in Florida), and getting lost in the scenery and mystery of Wales, Scotland, or England by watching shows such as Hinterland,Shetland, and Vera. To learn more about the author, visit her website http://www.dianeweinerauthor.com, or follow her on Facebook (dianeweinerauthor), Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. Contact the author at dianeweinerauthor@gmail.com.

Diane Weiner can be found at:

Website

Amazon

Audible

The Lines We Cross by R. L. McCalla

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

The Lines We Cross by R. L. McCalla

If DNA is the blueprint of life, what happens when we change the instructions?
When deputy Sam Thurston responds to a report of a dead body on the side of the road, he’s completely unprepared for what he’ll find: a pregnant woman, womb cut open, baby missing. So soon after his own wife’s miscarriage, Sam is drawn in to the case. In his search to find both the baby and the young woman’s killer, Sam uncovers a hidden world of rogue scientists, genetic editing, and pregnant college students.
Meanwhile, Ava Newman learns she’s pregnant, accepts a scholarship to a school founded by a biotech billionaire, and unknowingly moves into the room previously occupied by the roadside victim. There, Ava discovers secrets about life and death and her own DNA.
In order for Ava and Sam to uncover what really happened, they must confront their fears, their families, and secrets someone is willing to kill for. Lives are not the only thing at stake. They’re fighting to determine what it means to be human.

MY REVIEW

The Lines We Cross is in my top twenty if not top ten books of the year. I loved this book.

I’m familiar with this author and read many of her previous works with Harlequin so The Lines We Cross was a surprise to me. It challenged everything I though I believed about DNA, science, gene editing and life. I came away from this mystery changing my mind about various scientific studies, and it left me with certain what-if’s.

I could not put this mystery down. When does science go too far? What are the repercussions on those left behind or those coming after us in the future? And then…what part does faith play in this? Can science and faith come together? Or is faith a separate entity? Who are we as people and what dictates the choices we make? Do we throw aside faith when questioning how far is too far if the end justifies the means and it makes a difference in our health and safety? I thought I was pat in my answers to those questions until I read this book and  made me look at why I believed what I believed.

And yes, this is a mystery, and it is fiction and it is a page turner. Find out for yourself. So far, my best book of this year.

About the Author

Rachelle McCalla plays with words like some kids play with fire. When she’s not writing, she can be found digging deep research holes, setting up ideas like lightning rods to catch the next big bolt to shoot from the sky. Please use caution when picking up her books, as some may emit dangerous sparks.

Amazon

Review – Rising Danger by Jerusha Agen

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

It’s up to a K-9 handler and her canine partner to stop a bomber before it’s too late.

Someone’s planting explosives on dams in the Twin Cities, and Bristol Bachmann and her bomb-sniffing dog must move quickly to find them before everything ends up underwater. That means relying on the dams’ supervisor—an ex-boyfriend Bristol never thought she’d see again. Hopefully Remington Jones has grown up from the rakish charmer she knew in her academy days. Because lives now depend entirely on them…

It’s an environmental terrorist who wants the dams gone, and his bid to set the waters free has lethal consequences. When he sees Bristol and her K-9 working to stop him, he sets his sights on them. Can they evade him in a lethal game of cat and mouse and protect the cities from devastating destruction before the clock runs out?

My Review

Rising Danger by Jerusha Agen

I chose this book because in the past I’ve been a fan of Harlequin and their Love Inspired Series. I was not disappointed in reacquainting myself with this genre.

I found the plot intriguing. The idea that our infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks and behind the scenes there may be heroes, human and canine working to keep us safe may give readers comfort. Rising Danger has strong, flawed characters at the center of the mystery. Who can’t identify with mistakes in our past that live on in people’s memories and change the way our lives unfold for ourselves and those around us?

Bristol Bachman is introduced to us as she and her black lab, Toby are thrown into the chaos of a bomb at Minnesota Falls. The first chapter throws us right into the depths and keep us mired in the mystery for the entire length of the book. Spiritual moments and some romance make this book a winner.

About Jerusha Agen

Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner, but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.

With a B.A. in English and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is a speaker, writing instructor, and Fear Warrior who sounds the call to battle against fear in our everyday lives.

Jerusha loves to hang out with her big furry dogs and little furry cats. You’ll often find her sharing irresistibly adorable photos of them in her newsletter and on social media.

Get a free suspense story from Jerusha at FearWarriorSuspense.com and find more of her thrilling, fear-fighting stories at www.JerushaAgen.com.

Summer Club by Katherine Dean Mazerov

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review
Amazon

Murder meets the absurd in the sizzling thriller Summer Club, a new novel by award-winning journalist Katherine Dean Mazerov.

Normally, politics and parent drama, drunken soirees and sex-capades reign at Lydia Phillips’s swim and tennis club. Now, a strange car following the club manager, a break-in at Lydia’s home, and a shocking discovery on the club grounds have this stay-at-home mom dusting off her newspaper-reporting skills to unravel the mystery.

Then, a body surfaces in the river, and Lydia’s life gets a whole lot more complicated—and dangerous.

In one moment, readers of Summer Club will be laughing at the colorful characters’ outrageous antics. The next moment, they will be riveted as the story reveals a troubling, complex scheme involving fraud and murder.

Perfect for parents balancing career and family, Summer Club casts a beam of dark humor across the hidden reality that makes “domestic” life—raising children and volunteering for community and school groups—sometimes more harrowing than the most cutthroat of corporate jobs.

My Review

It’s not easy being a full-time volunteer, especially after one has had a successful career as a reporter and city editor. Lydia Phillips, questions her choice of becoming the Meadow Glen Board President as the intricacies of the job put her smack dab in the middle of shady happenings and a murder.

Summer Club was an easy read. It kept my interest, although I would have liked to see the murder earlier in the book as I kept waiting for it. The characters were solid and so was the setting. The author’s descriptions give the reader a good visual of what’s happening.

The name drew me in, and the idea of a lazy summer club. Basking in the sun, barbeques with friends and all things we associate with a relaxing good time. I had a relaxing good time reading Summer Club, and it had just enough mischief to keep me satisfied.

Meet the Author

Katherine Dean Mazerov

Career journalist KATHERINE DEAN (Katie) MAZEROV understands the power of stories that resonate with people, touch their lives. In her debut novel, Summer Club, she explores the complexities of life and foibles of human nature that emerge at rundown swim and tennis club rife with hilarious dysfunction and parent drama–and where a journalist-turned-stay-at-home-mom stumbles onto a dark fraud scheme. The award-winning newspaper reporter and editor has been a magazine writer, worked in corporate communications for a Fortune 500 company and written extensively on trends, market outlook and emerging technologies for the global energy industry. As an editor at The Denver Post, Katie was a member of the team that won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting. Like the protagonist in her book, she has experienced the challenges of balancing career and family. After putting her own career on hold to stay home, she did her fair share of volunteering—from the classroom to her own neighborhood swim and tennis club—which, she learned, can sometimes be more competitive and ruthless than even the most stressful work environment. Decades after launching her career path on the college newspaper, she remains passionate about writing, expanding her horizons along the way as a wife, mom, tennis player, skier, cyclist and world traveler. She can’t imagine a world without dogs. She lives in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

https://www.katherinedeanmazerov.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55461818-summer-club

Amazon

Legacy by Nora roberts

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review
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Legacy

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a new novel of a mother and a daughter, of ambition and romance, and of a traumatic past reawakened by a terrifying threat…

Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina’s footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. And she’s just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial—as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving—the postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins…

My Review

Family dynamics are never easy, and Nora Roberts portrays this perfectly in Legacy. It’s a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another. Do we become our parents because of what is modeled to us or are the traits that shape our character ones we can’t escape because they’re in our genes?

A traumatic incident with her father when Adrian Rizzo was a child set the pace for her life. When she decides to take a different path after the death of her Grandmother, Adrian finds herself a new meaning of family in the community of Traveler’s Creek. Living with her Grandfather, having friends near, she finds life would be perfect except for the poems and the letters anonymously sent to her, reminding her she has a stalker.

Nora Roberts does not disappoint her readers in Legacy. It’s a well-written mystery that will tug at your heart and leave you reading deep into the night or all day long. Though the mystery is compelling I found the family and friends component, along with some romance, is what drew me in. Family changes, people evolve, and the key is forgiveness. The message is clear in the dynamics of this book. It has my recommendation. I gave it five stars.

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Nora Roberts Website

Infinite by Brian Freeman

Featured by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

One rainy night, the unthinkable happens: Dylan Moran’s car plunges off the road into a raging river, his beautiful wife drowning as he struggles to shore.

In the aftermath, through his grief, Dylan experiences sudden, strange visions: wherever he goes, he’s haunted by glimpses of himself. Dylan initially chalks it up to trauma, but that changes when he runs into a psychiatrist who claims he’s her patient. She says he has been undergoing a unique hypnotherapy treatment built on the idea that with every choice, he creates an infinite number of parallel universes.

Now those parallel universes are unlocked—and Dylan’s doppelgänger has staked a claim to his world. Can Dylan use these alternate realities to get a second chance at the life that was stolen from him? Or will he lose himself…to himself?

My Review

Infinite by Brian Freeman

The first question I would ask Author Brian Freeman if I interviewed him in person is: “Can I crawl into your mind while you’re writing?” I have a feeling it would be an interesting place to reside as his words appear on the computer screen.

Infinite is twisted, and curvy and outright surprising. I held my breath in anxiety during many of the chapters. I wasn’t sure why, but that’s the way I was affected when reading, and for me that’s a good sign that I’m hooked. An unusual story of a man wrapped in himself. Was it real? Was it fantasy? I couldn’t put the book down until I found out.

It’s no secret Brian Freeman is now on my list of favorite authors. I am crushing on his writing. Like Forest Gump states, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna git.” I feel that way every time I read a Brian Freeman book. Brian Freeman’s books are like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna git.” I guarantee one thing, you will never be disappointed when reading one of his works. Infinite may just move to the top of your list of favorites in the world of Brian Freeman.

About Brian Freeman Brian Freeman is a New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride and Frost Easton series. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 22 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his “you are there” settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. Brian was also selected as the official author to continue Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series, and his novel THE BOURNE EVOLUTION was named by Kirkus as one of the best mysteries and thrillers of 2020.

Brian’s stand-alone thriller SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards given out by the International Thriller Writers organization, and his fifth novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 2021.

His debut thriller, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award for Best First Novel and was a finalist for the Edgar, Dagger, Anthony, and Barry Awards. IMMORAL was named an International Book of the Month, a distinction shared with authors such as Harlan Coben and Lisa Unger.

All of Brian’s books are also available in audiobook editions. His novels THE BONE HOUSE and SEASON OF FEAR were both finalists for Best Audiobook of the Year in Thriller/Suspense.

Find Brian at bfreemanbooks.com

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–Weed Lake

by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

My new book and a wonderful blog for you to follow.

mjbreviewers

Weed Lake: A Fuchsia/Brilliant, MN Crossover
GrannyEdith Press (March 1, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QJ74MMD

Purchase Links: Amazon – Apple – Kobo – Angus & Robertson  

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Julie Seedorf and her new book Weed Lake.  It is A Fuchsi/Brilliant, MN Crossover.

Weed Lake: A Fuchsia/Brilliant, MN Crossover
by Julie Seedorf

I enjoyed the wit and humor and the banter between the competing sleuths as they were forced to work together. The idea was cute and the plot was fast-paced.
~Nellie’s Book Nook

Like unique and quirky characters, sleuths who compete to solve a stranger’s murder, and humor? This one will not disappoint.
~ Christa Reads and Writes

Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, aka Granny, and Jezabelle Jingle are supersleuths in their own communities, Granny from Fuchsia and…

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Release Day and Blog Tour

by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

Author Julie Seedorf

It’s finally here. Tuesday, March 1 is release day for Weed Lake and it also starts my Blog Tour with Lori Caswell and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Weed Lake is a crossover with Granny and Jezabelle from the Fuchsia, MN Series and the Brilliant, MN Series. If you’ve read both series you know Granny and Jezabelle aren’t really the best of friends. The book is live tomorrow, available in Ebook format and print on all the platforms. Here’s the synopsis and here’s the list of the blog tour. Each visit is an interview, post, or review. Each stop is different. I thank all the blogs for letting us visit. Enjoy.

Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt, aka Granny, and Jezabelle Jingle are supersleuths in their own communities, Granny from Fuchsia and Jezabelle from Brilliant. Because they live only twenty miles apart in rural Minnesota, they are careful not to encroach on…

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The Stolen Hours by Allen Eskens

by Author Julie Seedorf, posted in Book Review

Lila Nash is on the verge of landing her dream job—working as a prosecutor under the Hennepin County Attorney—and has settled into a happy life with her boyfriend, Joe Talbert. But when a woman is pulled from the Mississippi River, barely alive, things in the office take a personal turn.

The police believe the woman’s assailant is local photographer Gavin Spenser, but the case quickly flounders as the evidence wears thin. It seems Gavin saw this investigation coming—and no one can imagine how carefully he has prepared.

The more determined Lila is to put Gavin behind bars, the more elusive justice becomes. Battling a vindictive new boss and haunted by the ghosts of her own unspeakable attack, which she’s kept a dark secret for eight long years, Lila knows the clock is ticking down. In a race against an evil mastermind, it will take everything Lila’s got to outsmart a killer—and to escape the dark hold of her own past.

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08RYR96YH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mulholland Books (September 7, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 7, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1652 KB
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0316703494

About the Author

Allen Eskens grew up in the wooded hills of Missouri and, after high school, migrated north to pursue his education. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota, and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law. He honed his creative writing skills in the M.F.A. program at Minnesota State University and took classes at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

My Review

Allen Eskens never disappoints me when I pick up a new book of his. The Stolen Hours is no different. One always wonders if it’s possible for each book to carry on the legacy of his past work but he seems to have no problem thrilling us with another mystery.

Lila Nash is a familiar character from his past works. Eskens does an excellent job of tying in the past and connecting the dots to this thriller, carrying on the story and giving us more insight to Lila’s life. For me one of the perks of his writing is the way the characters are developed, which puts them into a readers heart, making us love or hate, depending on the dynamics of the personalities as their lives play out the plot.

This is another can’t-put-it-down by one of my favorite authors.

The book is available as an e-read, print and audiobook.

Find Allen At:

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